Brave New Spirits Granted Approval for Witchburn Distillery in Campbeltown
Glasgow-based independent bottler and blender Brave New Spirits has been granted planning permission from Argyll & Bute Council for a new single malt whisky distillery at the former RAF Machrihanish airbase in Campbeltown. The new distillery, Witchburn, will use traditional distilling methods to produce unpeated, lightly peated, and heavily peated malts.
Production at Witchburn will be headed by Founding Master Distiller, Andrew Nairn, former Distillery Manager of Glenkinchie, Strathmill, and Borders Distillery. Witchburn will be a Net Zero carbon production distillery and will produce 2 million litres of alcohol per year. It will be powered by 100% green renewable energy sources and the latest in heat and energy recovery systems, making it one of the most environmentally friendly distilleries in Scotland. The distillery is planning to run 24/7, to ensure it keeps reusing as much heat and energy as possible.
When complete, Witchburn will operate with 1 Mash tun – with a capacity of 5 tons; 16 Washbacks – each with a capacity of 30,000 litres, allowing for a fermentation period of 96 hours or more; 2 Wash Stills – each with a capacity of 16,000 litres, and 2 Spirit Stills – each with a capacity of 7,000 litres.
Witchburn has a carefully planned wood management policy, with the majority of its spirit to be filled into Bourbon barrels, Oloroso Sherry casks, Tawny and Ruby Port barriques, and organic Bordeaux wine barriques. The distillery will mature its casks in on-site warehousing close to the sea, and in warehouses in the Campbeltown area.
Production at Witchburn Distillery will commence in the last quarter of 2024.
Source: Brave New Spirits.